Even more about "so"

There are so many things to say about "so". Here's another thing you should remember.

"So" plus "do" can be used as a substitute for a long verb phrase. This might give you trouble when you are reading. For example:

(definitions from 英辞郎 on the web and Edict)

• You're free to do so. ご自由にどうぞ。／勝手にどうぞ。◆「お勧めできない」という含みを持つことも多い。特に、誘いに対する答えとしては通例「あなたがやるのは勝手だが、私はやらない」というニュアンス
• Usually it's not possible to do so. 通常、そうすることは不可能だ。

Look at this one:

• Drinking water is very important for our health. Drinking enough water is especially important when the weather is humid and warm. 蒸し暑い (むしあつい) (adj) humid; sultry; (P);

That sentence is pretty long. You can use "so" to make it a little shorter:

• Drinking water is very important for our health. Doing so is especially important when the weather is humid and warm.

What do these sentences mean?

• I used to go back to my hometown every year for Christmas when I lived in the US. Last year I didn't do so. hometown - (生まれ）故郷｛こきょう｝、出身地
• I often eat dal with naan for lunch on weekdays. Today I did so. dal - レンズ豆のカレー
• When you feel you are catching a cold, I recommend cutting up a bunch of ginger, boiling it for 20 minutes, and then drinking the tea. I hope you'll do so next time you feel under the weather. 生姜 (しょうが) (n) ginger;

I think I didn't drink enough water today; I'll try to do so tomorrow. Make sure you do so, too. You are always welcome to ask me questions about what I write on the blog. I hope you'll do so.